Bike riding, for many years, has been used for providing play value to a youngster, but also for providing exercise to both youngsters and oldsters. One drawback of the usual bicycle linkages relates to the fact that with such linkages, the primary exercise is provided to the lower part of the rider's body. In other words, a much lesser amount of exercise is provided to the arms, as compared to the legs.
Attempts have been made to more evenly distribute the arms/legs exercise.
More even distribution of arms/legs exercise has been attempted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,970, to Porter issued on Mar. 7, 2000. Unlike the present invention, the steering mechanism in the Porter patent operates with the handlebar levers mounted on the diagonal fork of the bicycle, whereby direct twisting of such levers turn the front wheels in a steering motion. The present invention more positively applies the steering force by use of the arms of the user, which translates through a rotating disk, at the top of the fork, rotatable to steer the bicycle. Furthermore, the present invention handlebars, similar to Porter, form the top of the hand and arm driven power levers, to propel the bicycle through a linkage to the power levers to the conventional pedals of the bicycle. The present invention also uses a linkage to propel the bicycle, which is far less complex than that used by Porter, and presents a mechanism less likely to have the feet or the pants becoming fowled between the pedal crank and the linkage. Still further, the mechanism of the present invention has a simpler disconnect system than that of Porter, and enables mounting of the disconnected linkage after disconnect restores the bicycle to conventional upper body steering and lower body propulsion.